Transformer connector



June 26, 1962 CORNELL JR 3,041,574

TRANSFORMER CONNECTOR Filed July 28, 1958 50 INVENTOR.

, l h J04 5-2 0122 5 3,041,574 TRANSFQRMER CONNECTOR Edward S. Cornell, Jr., Westport, Conn., assignor to Penn- Union Electric Corporation, Erie, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed July 28, 1958, Ser. No. 751,342 Claims. (Cl. 339-94) The present invention relates to a novel electrical connector, and more particularly to a novel connector especially suitable for connecting a tap wire to a transformer.

Transformer connectors heretofore in general use, while being generally satisfactory for many purposes, have raised certain problems. It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a novel transformer connector which solves such problems.

More specifically, it is an important object of the present invention to provide a novel transformer connector which may be produced more easily and economically.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel transformer connector to which a tap wire or the like may be readily applied and which is constructed so as to obtain an improved and more secure connection with the wire.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel transformer connector which is adapted selectively to be connected with Wires of widely differing diameters.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel transformer connector of the above described type which is adapted to accommodate wires extending in different directions.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a transformer connector incorporating features of the present invention assembled with a tap wire;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view showing elements of a transformer connector incorporating features of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken generally along line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken generally along line 44 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the manner in which a wire may be initially assembled with the connector;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing a slightly modified form of the present invention applied to a relatively small diameter wire;

FIG. 7 is an end elevational view of the device shown in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the connector shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings wherein like parts are designated by the same numerals throughout the various figures, a transformer connector 18 incorporating features of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 through 5. The connector 10 comprises a pair of complementary body members 12 and 14 which are adapted to be clamped against a tap wire or the like 16 and which are described more in detail below. The body members 12 and 14 are formed from any suitable elecbut threaded connections described below are provided in the illustrated embodiment.

The insulator 18 is provided with an axially extending end flange 24 which defines a recess 26 adapted to accommodate a complementarily shaped end portion 28 of the body member 12. Preferably the end portion 28 is integrally connected with the remainder of the body member 12 by means of a reduced diameter neck portion 30. An internally threaded tubular extension '32 of the end portion 28 projects into an end of the bore 22 in the insulator so as to maintain the insulator and end portion 28 in axial alignment. The electrical conductor 20 is in the form of a rod having opposite threaded end portions respectively turned into the tubular portion 32 and adapted to receive a nut 34 so that the rod 20 also serves as means for securing the connector to a transformer. A washer 36 of suitable sealing material is disposed between the end face of the insulator and an opposing face of an annular seat provided in the end portion 28 so as to prevent moisture and the like from entering the bore in the insulator. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a finger 38 projects laterally from the end portion 28 through a suitable notch formed in the flange 24 of the insulator. This finger prevents relative rotation between the insulator and the connector body 12 and also provides for a predetermined spark gap between the exposed metal portions of the connector and the housing of a transformer, not shown.

The body member 12 also includes a relatively wide section 42 extending from the neck portion '30. An elongated transversely arcuately contoured seat 44 is provided on the body section 42 for accommodating the wire 16. Preferably this seat is substantially continuous and completely traverses the body section. In addition, the body section 42 is provided with a similarly shaped wire accommodating seat 46 which extends at an angle to the seat 44 so that the connector is adapted to accommodate either a transversely disposed wire as shown in solid lines in FIG. 1 or an axially extending wire as shown in broken lines in FIG. 1. In the embodiment shown, the elongated seat 46 extends at right angles to the seat 44' and is centrally disposed on the body section 42.

The body member 14 includes transversely and axially extending ribs 48 and 50 which respectively present elongated, uninterrupted and transversely curved .seats 52 and 54 and thus when the body members 12 and 14 are drawn together in the manner described in detail ,below, the wire 16 will be clamped between relative" long substantially uninterrupted directly opposed surfaces or seats so as to accomplish a more secure mechanical and electrical connection between the connector and the wire. Furthermore, the substantially coterminus arrangement of the opposing clamping surfaces or seats eliminates any tendency of the wire to bend or to be deflected at areas where the wire emerges between the clamping surfaces since all clamping forces provided by one surface are di rectly opposed by the opposite surface.

The connector 10 is provided with a pair of screws 56 and 58 which extend through oversized apertures 60 and 62 respectively in the body member 14 and into internally threaded apertures 64 and 66 in the body member12. It

will be appreciated that upon tightening of the screws, the body members will be drawn together for clamping a wire therebetween. If desired,'compression springs 68 and 70 or suitable spring washers, are provided between the heads of the screws and the body member 14 for efiectively locking the screws against unauthorized or inadvertent retrograde rotation. In addition, these springs will serve to maintain the desired clamping pressure in the event that there is any tendency for the pressure to be reduced as the result of cold flow or creep in a wire after the screws have been tightened.

Patented J mm 26, 1962 .As shown in the drawings, the body member 12 is pro- I vided with a flange 72 integral with the section 42 and the neck portion 30 and extending in the direction which the wire clamping surface or seat 44 faces. The flange 72 terminates in oppositely extending lateral projections or fingers 7'4 and 76. These fingers are'cooperable' with generally L-shaped hooked portions 78 and 89 extending from the body member 14 and beneath and partially around the fingers for connecting the members for both relative pivotal and lateral sliding or substantially straight line movement. This, for example, enables the body member 14 to be pivoted or tilted as shown in FIG. 5 when the screws are loosened 'so as to facilitateinsertion of a wire between a pair of the opposed clamping surfaces or seats. 7

It is to be noted that the structure is such that when the screws are tightened, relative tiling beween body members 12 and 14 is effectively substantially eliminated so that the body members move together substantially in a straight line parallel to the axes of the screws. This enables the opposed clamping surfaces to be maintained in substantially direct alignment so that the clamping forces provided by one of the surfaces will be directly opposed by the other'surface. Furthermore, thestructure is such thatthis result is obtained regardless of the diameter of the wire within, of course, the limits imposed-by the size of the connector. More specifically,

the lateral-projections or fingers 74 and 76 located at a 'side of the elongated seat 44 oppositely from the screws "are provided with side surfaces 84 and 86 which are substantially parallel to the axes of the screws, The

L-shaped hooked portions 78 and 80 terminate in elongated upstanding elements 88 and 90 having side surfaces 92 and '94 parallel to the axes of the'screws and "thus parallel to the direction of the clamping forces and "engageabl with the guide surfaces 84 and 86. In addi- -tion, the body'member 14 is provided with a flange 96 at an endthereof opposite from the L-shaped hooked por- "tions, which flange is provided with a guide surface 98 parallel to the previously mentioned guide surfaces and cooperatively engageable with a complementary parallel guide surface 100 provided on the body member 12. As shown best in FIG. 3, the cooperable guide surfaces "slideably engage each other when the screws are tightened's0 'to'prevent relative tilting between the body members.

" FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 show a modified embodiment of the present invention which is similar to the above described structure as indicated by the application of identical reference numerals with the suffix a added to corresponding elements. This embodiment is simplified in that only a single pair of oppositely disposed clamping surfaces or seats is provided. In addition, only a single clamping screw, is provided. FIG. 6 illustrates the mannerjn which the device may be applied to a relatively small diameter wire, but it is to be understood that this device may also be connected to larger diameter wires or cables. It is further to be understood that the device shown in FIGS. 1-5 may similarlybe connected with relative small diameter'wires or cables. FIG. 8. illustrates the manner in which the recesses'102 and'ltM may said laterally projecting means for preventing substantial .relativetilting of said members'when said members are be provided in the body member 12a for reducing the,

amo'untof stock material required'for the connector.

While thepreferred embodiments oflthe present invention have been shown and described herein, it is obvions that many structural details-' may be changed with- Pout departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims;

The invention is claimed as follows: r

1. A connector comprising a body member having a gated tap wire'accommodatingseat facing in onedirectioh, .a sec ond member-associated with said body memher and including an elongated tap wire accormnodating portion for association with *anelectrical insulator, said f -body member including a section presenting an 'elondisposed from said first mentioned seat, said body member including finger means laterally projecting therefrom longitudinally offset from said first mentioned seat and spaced apart from said seat in said one direction, said second member including hook means extending partially around said finger means and connecting said members for relative pivotal movement and for substantially straight line sliding movement when said members are shifted together, and screw means connected with said members for shifting said members together and clamping a wire between said seats, said members including cooperable guide surfaces oifset from said hook means and parallel to a longitudinal axis of said screw means for preventing substantial relative tilting of said members when said members are shifted toward each other for clamping a wire therebetween, said screw means being disposed between said'guide surfaces and said seats, and said finger means and said hook means being located at a side of said seats opposite from said screw means.

2. A transformer terminal comprising an electrical insulator having an axially extending bore therethrough and a peripheral axially extending end flange defining a recess at an end thereof, a body member of electricity conducting material having a portion disposed in said recess, said portion including a reduced diameter internally threaded cylindrical element extending into said bore, means providing an annular seal between said body portion and rupted transversely arcuate seat substantially coextensive with and in directly opposing relationship to said first mentioned seat, and a clamping screw extending freely through an aperture in one of said members and turned into'an internally threaded aperture in the other of said members for drawing said members together and clamping a wire between said seats.

3. A connector comprising .a body member having a portion for association with an electrical insulator, said body member including a section presenting an elongated tap wire accommodating seat facing in one direction, a second member associated with said body member and including a tap wire accommodating seat substantially directly oppositely disposed from said first mentioned seat, one of said body members including means laterally projecting therefrom and disposed at one side of an offset from said seats, the other of said members including hook means extending partially around said laterally projecting means and connecting said members for relative movement including substantially:straight-line sliding movement when said membersare shifted together, said members including cooperable guide surfaces offset from said seats and disposed at a side of said seats opposite from shifted toward each other for clamping a wire therebetween, and screw means connected with said members for shifting said members together and clamping the wire therebetween, said screw means being disposed between said guide surfaces and said seats.

4. A connector, as defined in claim 3, wherein said members comprise opposing generally T-shaped seat ,means respectively including said first and second mentioned seats, and said screw means comprises a pair of screw elements extending between said members and disposed at opposite sides of stem portions of said T-shaped seat means. 7 ,v

V 5. A connector, as defined in claim'3, wherein said screw means comprises a headed screw element extending loosely through one of said members and threaded into the other of said members, and a compression spring element disposed between a head portion of said screw element and said members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Coates June 9, 1931 Hill Oct. 29, 1935 

